Educating 1800 child workers in Pakistan

Most of us are born in privileged households where our parents provide us with a comfortable living and send us to schools because that is the basic right of every child. We take it for-granted because we see that all the kids around us are doing the same thing. We even sometimes resent the hard life where we have to carry our bag full of books and copies and stay away from all the good things in life like cartoons and video games.

Sardar’s story is a little different. He was not born in a privileged household and school education wasn’t something that everyone around him was getting. Three years back, Sardar’s parents migrated from Afghanistan and settled in the city of Rawalpindi in Pakistan. They came to Pakistan in the hope of a better future but things played out a little differently when Sardar’s dad fell ill. His illness grew pretty severe causing him to become incapable of work. The responsibility to earn a living fell on the shoulders of all the six sons while the three daughters took care of the home. Two of the brothers set up a tea stall at the bus stop trying to get the passengers to buy their tea. The other four had to set up a similar stall in the nearby fruit and vegetable market, but Sardar resisted. He always had a dream to go to school and was ready to stand up against his family to fight for his right to education. At the age of 11 Sardar took a stand for himself and stood up to convince his brothers. The family finally agreed and exempted Sardar from the tea stall for a few hours in the morning.

Sardar started his education in the nearby Government School for Boys but there were more challenges awaiting him. The government passed an order to convert Sardar’s school into a girls only campus, and shift all the boys enrolled to another campus which was much further away. The long distance causing elongated commute time made it impossible for Sardar to continue his education. He discontinued his studies and joined his brothers in the fruit and vegetable market. The brothers didn’t want him at the stall anymore and so Sardar had to become a garbage collector in the same market. He would work all day in the market and think about all his class fellows and teachers. He really missed his school and dreamed of going back there one day.

Our Zindagi Trust Program Officer found out about Sardar during our enrollment drive. Sardar got enrolled in Zindagi Trust Fauiji Colony School in Rawalpindi and has now completed one year with the school. He is currently in Grade 3 and is a self-motivated learner. After school hours he still goes back to the fruit market as a garbage collector because he takes pride in the contribution he makes to his family’s income.

Talking to our field officer Sardar says:

“Previously I hated my job. I felt like I am living in garbage and wasting my life in garbage. But now that I go to school, I don’t hate it anymore. It’s like Math practice now. I count the things I pick, I add them, I multiply them. It doesn’t feel bad anymore

Hundreds of children like Sardar give up their dreams of getting a classroom education because of unfortunate circumstances. Please donate to Zindagi Trust to help us give these children a better and a brighter future through education. 

Shalook is a 13-year-old boy who lives with his parents and three younger siblings in a low-income community near Walton Road, Lahore. He has enjoyed playing cricket with his best friends on the streets of Lahore since he was only seven and is passionate about the game. When you ask him who is role model is, he would look up at you with a glimmer in his eyes and exclaim “Shahid Afridi!” - his voice full of joy.

Shalook is always surrounded by plastic bats and balls. You would think life couldn’t be more perfect for a young cricket fan, but the truth is he is a child worker in the packaging department of a sports good factory. With tiny hands, and big dreams in his eyes, he spends a major part of every day preparing plastic bats and balls for sale in toy shops.

Shalook’s father is a labourer and struggles to make ends meet for their family. He is a
very hardworking man but has lost a lot of physical strength after a life of hard physical labour.
In the months the family gets lucky, he is able to earn PKR 10,000 (about $100) which is barely enough to feed his family of five. He wanted Shalook, his eldest son, to become an engineer but his circumstances left him helpless and he was forced to put him to work. Shalook earns PKR 2000 (about $20) every month, which is a very big support for his family.

When our Zindagi Trust team learned about Shalook we approached his family and told his father about our Paid to Learn program, where working children get a free education as well as a scholarship stipend if they finish. His father did not need much convincing and was thrilled to learn that his son would be
paid to learn! He told our team that he could now dream again.

“My son will be an engineer and will earn so much that we will never have to sleep hungry again!”

His son had a different dream. Jumping with excitement, he told our team he wanted to learn so much at school that when he won his first big match he could give his interview in English.

Shalook is now in the 5^th grade and has his parents’ full support for his education. He is a quick learner and enjoys his homework. In the evening he still goes and plays cricket with his friends. He has adopted his parents’ dream for him to become an engineer but also aspires to play cricket in the local leagues.

We at Zindagi Trust want to thank you in making dreams come true with your generous
donations. We hope that you will continue supporting us in our mission to
educate young children like Shalook.

Links:

• Our website